PYMHIT: Supervisor Training for Children and Young People's (High Intensity)

Module code: PYMHIT

Module provider: Psychology; School of Psych and Clin Lang Sci

Credits: 20

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Melissa Snaith, email: m.h.snaith@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE PYMSTC (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 14 August 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The role of the supervisor within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) including Mental Health Support Teams in schools (MHSTs) is pivotal. Hi Intensity supervisors form part of the team of change alongside their service management and practitioner colleagues. High-quality supervision of trainee and qualified therapists is key to ensuring the successful delivery and sustainability of evidence-based treatments.  

This module will develop students’ supervisory knowledge and skills in incorporating the core principles of accessibility, awareness, accountability, evidence-based practice and participation into supervisory practice. It will shape supervisors who can provide evidence-based supervision for interventions set out in the Hi intensity CYP trainee practitioners’ curricula and who will develop critical knowledge of the theoretical, research and implementation literature that underpins the supervision of psychological practitioners.   

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate a critical knowledge of the theoretical, research and implementation literature that underpins the supervision of high-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy trainees. 
2. Develop supervisees’ competences in therapeutic interventions as taught on their respective programmes.
3. Engage meaningfully in reflective practice regarding the supervision they deliver.  

Module content

Module content as per the national curriculum for supervisor training (Health Education England, 2020 and 2023): 

At least 10 days teaching which will cover the following: 

• Understanding Children and Young People's mental health agenda and the core principles of accessibility, awareness, accountability, evidence-based practice and participation. 
• Principles of supervision. 
• Promoting psychological knowledge in supervision. 
• The use of outcomes data in supervision. 
• Facilitating inclusive therapeutic processes in supervision. 
• Delivering Hil-intensity supervision. Evaluation of supervisor competencies using the supervision adherence, guidance and evaluation tool (SAGE). 
• Additional teaching days are available where supervisor trainees need to improve competency in the interventions their supervisees deliver.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Experiential and skills-based workshops provide students with a strong foundation in evidence-based supervision, addressing the most up-to-date research developments.  

Skills-based competencies will be developed through small group experiential work and role plays in workshops, group supervision of supervision by course members and individual/group supervision in the place of work.  

Problem-based learning will be facilitated through a combination of course and work-based supervision.  

Self-directed study includes general reading for the module and preparatory reading for each session. Web-based resources will be available to allow students to see examples of supervision sessions and clinical demonstrations of specific techniques.  

Study hours

At least 57 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module:

1. A mark of 50% for the assessment
2. A minimum of 80% live attendance

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs